3 ms·

Is cover letter important? Do hiring managers/recruiters read those?

grumple 2y ago
At the bigcorp where I work, I don't see cover letters. Applications comes through some crappy platform, I just see resume files and autog-extracted versions of them. Might be worth putting a little summary / objective in the resume file itself because of that.
codegeek 2y ago
Depends. As a Hiring Manager, I love cover letters but only if it is not a generic copy paste. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind a Cover letter that may have some generic stuff about you but you must add something specific about the role/company that you are applying for and why you will be a good fit. This will get you miles ahead of others in the queue.
- DavidDodda 2y ago
  how would you rate this?, this email was written by the system from the article. Dear Hiring Manager, I hope this message finds you well. My name is David Dodda, and I am writing to express my interest in the Software Engineer position at WIA Software Systems Inc. I am a Senior Software Developer with extensive experience in full-stack development, and I believe my skills align well with the requirements outlined in your job posting. With a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication and over 5 years of professional experience, I have honed my capabilities in various programming languages and technologies, particularly in React, Node.js, AWS, and SQL. At Black Beard Development Group, I led the development of a privacy-focused AI platform and played a pivotal role in establishing CI/CD pipelines that improved efficiencies across our team. Your job description emphasizes the importance of developing software solutions by studying systems flow, data usage, and work processes. In my previous roles, I have consistently evaluated user feedback to improve system designs and have successfully executed the full lifecycle of software development. Additionally, my involvement in agile methodologies and my proficiency in AWS aligns perfectly with your requirement for cloud and DevOps experience. Furthermore, I have experience collaborating with teams to coordinate the development and integration of computer-based systems, ensuring optimal functionality and performance. My recent project involving a fantasy sports DApp required me to coordinate with various stakeholders, manage expectations, and lead technical efforts, making me well-equipped for the responsibilities at WIA Software Systems Inc. I am particularly excited about the hybrid work arrangement offered for this role, as I believe it allows for both collaborative in-person engagement and the flexibility of remote work, which enhances productivity. Thank you for considering my application. I have attached my resume for your review and would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my background, skills, and enthusiasms align with the goals of WIA Software Systems Inc. Best regards, David Dodda https://daviddodda.com https://daviddodda.com
  - codegeek 2y ago
    Honestly, this is a typical generic one where may be you just edited the pargraph a bit about "Your job description emphasizes the importance of..". I would rather have you give me concrete examples. Instead of saying "I have consistently evaluated user feedback to..", give me an actual example. Also, a bit too long. Make it shorter.
    - DavidDodda 2y ago
      thanks for the feedback!
    - lostlogin 2y ago
      I’m in a completely different field, working in healthcare. This letter would rank well above the average one I get. I receive cover letters with typos, the wrong word used, poor punctuation etc. If candidates could use a spell checking it would be a good start.
  - jdbdnej 2y ago
    While I would not mind getting a cover letter like that, I would not score any points. It just has zero value. A well written cover letter on the other hand would net you a big plus
  - 1auralynn 2y ago
    Way too wordy, overly formal, and generic
  - hb-robo 2y ago
    I am not a hiring manager but something about these mini-paragraphs puts me off. It's like those tabloid sites where every sentence has its own line.
Volundr 2y ago
It's highly dependent on the manager I'm afraid and impossible to guess who's on the other side of that. The process outlined in the post also isn't a path to writing a good cover letter. You don't want to just go over your resume again you want to either talk about things that wouldn't be there (e.x. why you want this job specifically, because your 100% applying because this is the unicorn job for you, not because you need money to feed yourself) or expanding on how something on your resume uniquely qualifies you (I worked on this project that's very similar to what your doing) If it's lining up your resume to the job description (you want someone who can write Scala, I have used Scala in my past 3 jobs) a resume is a better format for that. But that's all the LLM has context to do. Oh yeah, ideally you'd also tune your resume to the job too.
- maeil 2y ago
  > (e.x. why you want this job specifically, because your 100% applying because this is the unicorn job for you, not because you need money to feed yourself) In 99.9% of jobs in the world, there are zero applicants for who this truly holds. You might be working at a company hiring for a job that's part of the 0.1%, not sure. Otherwise, you're just selecting for those who are willing to lie as blatantly as required.
  - Volundr 2y ago
    > Otherwise, you're just selecting for those who are willing to lie as blatantly as required. That's a pessimistic way of looking at it, but I'm not going to claim it's wrong. I think my phrasing made it very clear that in most cases I expect if someone includes something about this their interest is going to be ahem embellished. All the same look at it from the hiring managers side. Say you have two candidates, who appear to otherwise be equal. One seems to think the job is just like any other. The other actually seems genuinely interested in the details of food brokering, knows of your companies involvement in <big name>'s success and has thoughts on how they can apply their background in data analytics to the challenges you face. Which candidate do you hire? Or do you really just toss a coin?
    - 2y ago
petesergeant 2y ago
When I worked as a recruiter, I’d make candidates write two paragraphs of prose to summarize what they could do. Much easier to read than picking through a CV looking for clues.
hansvm 2y ago
I have no clue in general. When I go through applications, I go through all the material and anything else I can find about the candidate, and cover letters are sometimes helpful. Put yourself in my shoes: - If the cover letter is a rehash of your resume, it's a waste of your time and mine. It certainly isn't helpful to your application, and if I have too many well-qualified applicants then it might be harmful. - Poorly written cover letters suggest that the applicant doesn't care much about this specific opportunity, it's some sort of AI/oversees/... scam, or the applicant can't write well. They're very helpful for me when there are already other data points suggesting identity theft or similar automation (nail-in-the-coffin material). Otherwise, they're not necessarily a negative, but it's rarely advantageous to advertise a lack of some skill, and it does disqualify applicants from some roles. - Some cover letters are especially compelling. Suppose your resume just has you as a pizza delivery driver, but your cover letter goes over the app you wrote and the data science behind it to optimize your hourly earnings. Suppose your work history is in web tech, but you're actually better at low-level optimizations and are applying here because you think that skill set is a good fit. I prefer varied backgrounds anyway, so you'll probably get some form of screening interview unless there's enough other evidence that you aren't qualified (e.g., junior experience for a senior role) -- I try to bias toward giving everyone a chance while not wasting too much of anyone's time, and I'm fine having a busier calendar to make that happen. None of that helps you get the job though; it helps you get an interview. If your experience is that you're well qualified and usually land the job once you get into an interview, and if your cover letter has some information your resume lacks, you should definitely add one. If you normally struggle through the interview process, it'd be surprising for you to have an honest cover letter which would help you land the job in the first place, so I probably wouldn't bother.
gaws 2y ago
In most cases, they are not important. All the offers I received asked for a cover letter, and I always submitted a one-line PDF that said I would discuss my work history and why I'd like the job only in an interview.

At the bigcorp where I work, I don't see cover letters. Applications comes through some crappy platform, I just see resume files and autog-extracted versions of them. Might be worth putting a little summary / objective in the resume file itself because of that.

codegeek 2y ago

Depends. As a Hiring Manager, I love cover letters but only if it is not a generic copy paste. Don't get me wrong. I don't mind a Cover letter that may have some generic stuff about you but you must add something specific about the role/company that you are applying for and why you will be a good fit. This will get you miles ahead of others in the queue.

DavidDodda 2y ago
how would you rate this?, this email was written by the system from the article. Dear Hiring Manager, I hope this message finds you well. My name is David Dodda, and I am writing to express my interest in the Software Engineer position at WIA Software Systems Inc. I am a Senior Software Developer with extensive experience in full-stack development, and I believe my skills align well with the requirements outlined in your job posting. With a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication and over 5 years of professional experience, I have honed my capabilities in various programming languages and technologies, particularly in React, Node.js, AWS, and SQL. At Black Beard Development Group, I led the development of a privacy-focused AI platform and played a pivotal role in establishing CI/CD pipelines that improved efficiencies across our team. Your job description emphasizes the importance of developing software solutions by studying systems flow, data usage, and work processes. In my previous roles, I have consistently evaluated user feedback to improve system designs and have successfully executed the full lifecycle of software development. Additionally, my involvement in agile methodologies and my proficiency in AWS aligns perfectly with your requirement for cloud and DevOps experience. Furthermore, I have experience collaborating with teams to coordinate the development and integration of computer-based systems, ensuring optimal functionality and performance. My recent project involving a fantasy sports DApp required me to coordinate with various stakeholders, manage expectations, and lead technical efforts, making me well-equipped for the responsibilities at WIA Software Systems Inc. I am particularly excited about the hybrid work arrangement offered for this role, as I believe it allows for both collaborative in-person engagement and the flexibility of remote work, which enhances productivity. Thank you for considering my application. I have attached my resume for your review and would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my background, skills, and enthusiasms align with the goals of WIA Software Systems Inc. Best regards, David Dodda https://daviddodda.com https://daviddodda.com
- codegeek 2y ago
  Honestly, this is a typical generic one where may be you just edited the pargraph a bit about "Your job description emphasizes the importance of..". I would rather have you give me concrete examples. Instead of saying "I have consistently evaluated user feedback to..", give me an actual example. Also, a bit too long. Make it shorter.
  - DavidDodda 2y ago
    thanks for the feedback!
  - lostlogin 2y ago
    I’m in a completely different field, working in healthcare. This letter would rank well above the average one I get. I receive cover letters with typos, the wrong word used, poor punctuation etc. If candidates could use a spell checking it would be a good start.
- jdbdnej 2y ago
  While I would not mind getting a cover letter like that, I would not score any points. It just has zero value. A well written cover letter on the other hand would net you a big plus
- 1auralynn 2y ago
  Way too wordy, overly formal, and generic
- hb-robo 2y ago
  I am not a hiring manager but something about these mini-paragraphs puts me off. It's like those tabloid sites where every sentence has its own line.

Volundr 2y ago

It's highly dependent on the manager I'm afraid and impossible to guess who's on the other side of that. The process outlined in the post also isn't a path to writing a good cover letter. You don't want to just go over your resume again you want to either talk about things that wouldn't be there (e.x. why you want this job specifically, because your 100% applying because this is the unicorn job for you, not because you need money to feed yourself) or expanding on how something on your resume uniquely qualifies you (I worked on this project that's very similar to what your doing) If it's lining up your resume to the job description (you want someone who can write Scala, I have used Scala in my past 3 jobs) a resume is a better format for that. But that's all the LLM has context to do. Oh yeah, ideally you'd also tune your resume to the job too.

maeil 2y ago
> (e.x. why you want this job specifically, because your 100% applying because this is the unicorn job for you, not because you need money to feed yourself) In 99.9% of jobs in the world, there are zero applicants for who this truly holds. You might be working at a company hiring for a job that's part of the 0.1%, not sure. Otherwise, you're just selecting for those who are willing to lie as blatantly as required.
- Volundr 2y ago
  > Otherwise, you're just selecting for those who are willing to lie as blatantly as required. That's a pessimistic way of looking at it, but I'm not going to claim it's wrong. I think my phrasing made it very clear that in most cases I expect if someone includes something about this their interest is going to be ahem embellished. All the same look at it from the hiring managers side. Say you have two candidates, who appear to otherwise be equal. One seems to think the job is just like any other. The other actually seems genuinely interested in the details of food brokering, knows of your companies involvement in <big name>'s success and has thoughts on how they can apply their background in data analytics to the challenges you face. Which candidate do you hire? Or do you really just toss a coin?
  - 2y ago

petesergeant 2y ago

When I worked as a recruiter, I’d make candidates write two paragraphs of prose to summarize what they could do. Much easier to read than picking through a CV looking for clues.

hansvm 2y ago

I have no clue in general. When I go through applications, I go through all the material and anything else I can find about the candidate, and cover letters are sometimes helpful. Put yourself in my shoes: - If the cover letter is a rehash of your resume, it's a waste of your time and mine. It certainly isn't helpful to your application, and if I have too many well-qualified applicants then it might be harmful. - Poorly written cover letters suggest that the applicant doesn't care much about this specific opportunity, it's some sort of AI/oversees/... scam, or the applicant can't write well. They're very helpful for me when there are already other data points suggesting identity theft or similar automation (nail-in-the-coffin material). Otherwise, they're not necessarily a negative, but it's rarely advantageous to advertise a lack of some skill, and it does disqualify applicants from some roles. - Some cover letters are especially compelling. Suppose your resume just has you as a pizza delivery driver, but your cover letter goes over the app you wrote and the data science behind it to optimize your hourly earnings. Suppose your work history is in web tech, but you're actually better at low-level optimizations and are applying here because you think that skill set is a good fit. I prefer varied backgrounds anyway, so you'll probably get some form of screening interview unless there's enough other evidence that you aren't qualified (e.g., junior experience for a senior role) -- I try to bias toward giving everyone a chance while not wasting too much of anyone's time, and I'm fine having a busier calendar to make that happen. None of that helps you get the job though; it helps you get an interview. If your experience is that you're well qualified and usually land the job once you get into an interview, and if your cover letter has some information your resume lacks, you should definitely add one. If you normally struggle through the interview process, it'd be surprising for you to have an honest cover letter which would help you land the job in the first place, so I probably wouldn't bother.

gaws 2y ago

In most cases, they are not important. All the offers I received asked for a cover letter, and I always submitted a one-line PDF that said I would discuss my work history and why I'd like the job only in an interview.